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Clean up your streets, Morro Bay

My family visited Morro Bay several times a year with our friends, neighbors, and grandkids for the last 24 years. The Harbor Festival was our favorite event—until this year.

On first arriving, there was a smacked-out guy playing loud guitar near the coffee shop we used to enjoy. We skipped breakfast there—too noisy and uncomfortable. His belongings blocked the sidewalk, so we had to walk into the roundabout to pass, exposing us to heavy festival traffic.

One block down in the public park across from the police station was another encampment: tent, trash, laundry. We were panhandled as we walked by. Watching in disbelief, another transient harassed an older lady walking her small, leashed dog through the park. She tried to ignore him, but he chased her across the street screaming things not repeatable in a family newspaper.

Where are the police? Why aren’t they doing their job? For decades, we paid to stay in Morro Bay motels, enjoy your restaurants, spend vacation money in your shops. We used to feel safe and relaxed here; no longer. We don’t plan to return unless the situation improves.